Newmarket 4.10 tips – Balding’s Dark horse worth a shot

There is a strong temptation to go with Richard Hannon’s Nisser having put him up for a race at Windsor on Monday only for the meeting to be abandoned after three races. The form of his maiden win at that track last July could not have worked out better with two of the placed horses going on to win and his trainer expects him to make up into a smart sprint handicapper this term, with his initial mark of 85 looking generous with his burden reduced further by Tom Marquand’s 3lb claim.

But bookmakers look to have his measure, with just 3/1 on offer, and I’d rather back Andrew Balding’s DARK SHOT at four times that price (12/1 bet365). He is winless in six runs in maiden company, including at Salisbury 13 days ago (second) when in need of the run, but he’s a son of Acclamation, who improved with age, and his dam Dark Missile won the Wokingham for this stable in 2007. He looks to have inherited plenty of his parents’ speed and, having been gelded over the winter, it would be no surprise to see him bag a big sprint handicap this season and his opening mark of 81 looks exploitable.